


Bookshop

by flippyspoon



Series: Modern and Interesting: Drabbles and Ficlets [4]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 18:01:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1827277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flippyspoon/pseuds/flippyspoon





	Bookshop

Jimmy had performed an impressive feat of rhetorical gymnastics in order to secure an errand to York.  It was something to do with scouting out a shop that sold a wireless.  And this was all lovely since it was Thomas’s half day and he just happened to be going to York.

They chatted and laughed the whole ride down.  Thomas had to remind Jimmy to take a look at the shop and ask about pricing like Carson had requested.  Then they went to a bookshop where Jimmy clung to Thomas if he were under a magic spell that had stuck them together.

"I like adventurous books," Jimmy said, in a tone that was almost defensive.  Thomas didn’t know why.  He hadn’t said a thing about Jimmy’s interest or lack thereof in literature.  Thomas rose an eyebrow and picked up a volume of Shakespeare’s sonnets.  

Jimmy was fidgety and pulled random books off the shelf, flipping through them quickly, except for one which he silently stood reading for a five full minutes, until Thomas dying to ask what had held his often fleeting interest so long.  It was quiet in the shop and they were standing close together in the narrow aisle of books shelved floor to ceiling.  Jimmy beat him to his question. 

"What’re you reading?"  Jimmy said softly.

"Shakespeare."

"You just like that sort of stuff so you can drop little phrases and things in front of everyone else," Jimmy said knowingly.  "Why don’t you just get  a book of quotations or somethin’?"

Thomas blushed.  It was utterly true.  Also, a book of quotations was not a bad idea.

But Thomas only said haughtily, “Quiet please, I’m reading.”  But now he wondered if Jimmy of all people thought he was terribly shallow after all.

“ _Which_  one are ya reading?”  Jimmy said.

Thomas regarded Jimmy warily.  Jimmy’s hair was all disheveled and a long lock hung in front of one eye.  Without much thinking about it Thomas reached over and gently smoothed it back behind his ear.  His eyes flicked back to his Shakespeare.  

"Your hair was in your eyes, I didn’t mean-"

"S’alright," Jimmy mumbled.  "Read me somethin’?"

Thomas was nervous now and started reading at random.

"The pretty wrongs that liberty commits, when I am sometime absent from thy heart-"

Just then Jimmy reached up and carded a hand through Thomas’s hair.  Thomas knew full well his hair was perfectly in place.  They stood staring at each other over the volume of Shakespeare.

"Why’d you do that?" Thomas said.

"I wanted to," Jimmy said simply.  He shifted from foot to foot.

Thomas almost dropped the book.  But he only nodded as if this made perfect sense.

"You’re not, by the way," Jimmy said, almost inaudibly.  Though he appeared to be speaking to the floor.  "Just so you know."

"Not what?"  Thomas said blinking at him.

"Um…absent from my heart," he said, and stuck his hands in his pockets, kicking Thomas’s shoe.


End file.
